Recos for Coz with 13 y/o diver?

[lizzzzz]

I'm itching to sneak in a short dive trip and Cozumel has been on my list. I'm AOW with about 50 dives (still a novice, but with some experience), and my son got certified last summer in Roatan. He's got about 12-15 dives so far, including Turks & Caicos, Maui, and a few drift dives.

I've heard mixed messages about diving in Coz, specifically for younger/newbie divers, since some people love it and others are less enthusiastic. I'd appreciate any input or advice here, especially from folks who've gone with kids or been diving long enough to speak on the subject. In a perfect world, we'd go down to Curacao or Bonaire — but for both time and budget, Coz is more realistic for a short trip. That said, if folks don't think it's a good fit for diving with a young teen I also welcome that feedback.

Finally, I'd appreciate any recommendations for good dive resorts or operations. We don't need anything too fancy, but I'm much more focused on operations that prioritize safety, don't have cattle boats, and don't play fast and loose with the rules (y'all know what I'm talking about...). Thanks!

 

[ggunn]

We brought our daughter diving Cozumel for her first post cert dives when she was 13 and she did fine. Her trim and her relaxed stance in the water put some adults to shame. We stayed shallow with her on every dive that first trip.

For a wealth of information on Cozumel dive ops, see: Finding a (Best) Dive Op in Cozumel

 

[Shawn C]

Our daughter learned to dive at twelve years old in Cozumel. We hired a DM on every dive that we did with her and will continue to do so for a while still (she doesn't have many dives under her belt and there are long gaps between diving for her). We have used many dive ops over the years but have stayed with Sharky's for a good while now. They have great DMs, small fast boats, good SIs, etc etc. Walter taught my daughter and we couldn't be happier or recommend him any higher.

There's a few threads where I've already recommended AIs (we have stayed at seven of them). In order of preference for my family it's Cozumel Palace, Fiesta Americana, Explorean, Iberostar. Food is important to us and we pick that over a beach (which Cozumel isn't known for anyway). Whenever we have used the in house dive ops we've always been disappointed. Most hotels & resorts will let you use a 3rd party dive op and get picked up & dropped off at their piers. Some will charge a fee per day, per diver while others won't.

Feel free to DM me with any questions.

 

[Altamira]

I'm itching to sneak in a short dive trip and Cozumel has been on my list. I'm AOW with about 50 dives (still a novice, but with some experience), and my son got certified last summer in Roatan. He's got about 12-15 dives so far, including Turks & Caicos, Maui, and a few drift dives.

I've heard mixed messages about diving in Coz, specifically for younger/newbie divers, since some people love it and others are less enthusiastic. I'd appreciate any input or advice here, especially from folks who've gone with kids or been diving long enough to speak on the subject. In a perfect world, we'd go down to Curacao or Bonaire — but for both time and budget, Coz is more realistic for a short trip. That said, if folks don't think it's a good fit for diving with a young teen I also welcome that feedback.

Finally, I'd appreciate any recommendations for good dive resorts or operations. We don't need anything too fancy, but I'm much more focused on operations that prioritize safety, don't have cattle boats, and don't play fast and loose with the rules (y'all know what I'm talking about...). Thanks!

You did not state your son’s age, his maturity and skill level, and whether or not diving will be the two of you, or you will have another support diver in your group. My wife and I took my 12 y/o grandson to Coz when he was a newly minted Jr. OW diver. I would not have done it without my wife as our third diver, and I would have thumbed the dives if the current was other than light. It was fine, but I was fully aware of the possibility of things going sideways at any given minute, even with our grandson sandwiched between us. If it is just the two of you, I would hire a private DM, and you also have to answer the question “could your son help you if you are the one in trouble?”

 

[lizzzzz]

Our daughter learned to dive at twelve years old in Cozumel. We hired a DM on every dive that we did with her and will continue to do so for a while still (she doesn't have many dives under her belt and there are long gaps between diving for her). We have used many dive ops over the years but have stayed with Sharky's for a good while now. They have great DMs, small fast boats, good SIs, etc etc. Walter taught my daughter and we couldn't be happier or recommend him any higher.

There's a few threads where I've already recommended AIs (we have stayed at seven of them). In order of preference for my family it's Cozumel Palace, Fiesta Americana, Explorean, Iberostar. Food is important to us and we pick that over a beach (which Cozumel isn't known for anyway). Whenever we have used the in house dive ops we've always been disappointed. Most hotels & resorts will let you use a 3rd party dive op and get picked up & dropped off at their piers. Some will charge a fee per day, per diver while others won't.

Feel free to DM me with any questions.

Thank you for your reply! I think I saw some of your past posts re: a 12 year old daughter, so this is great. I'll look into Sharky's. I've definitely dove with operators in the past that I liked but wouldn't necessarily use with a kid, so this is super helpful. I'll DM you if/when I have more questions.

 

[lizzzzz]

You did not state your son’s age, his maturity and skill level, and whether or not diving will be the two of you, or you will have another support diver in your group. My wife and I took my 12 y/o grandson to Coz when he was a newly minted Jr. OW diver. I would not have done it without my wife as our third diver, and I would have thumbed the dives if the current was other than light. It was fine, but I was fully aware of the possibility of things going sideways at any given minute, even with our grandson sandwiched between us. If it is just the two of you, I would hire a private DM, and you also have to answer the question “could your son help you if you are the one in trouble?”

Great points. My son is 13 and very mature/conscientious for his age, but I'm always reminding myself that he's still a kid and this goes back to your point of him being MY buddy if I run into trouble, which is key. I like the idea of hiring a private DM since it would just be the two of us, as that adds an extra layer of security. I've found that I'm much more hyper-aware of any potential risk when diving with him than with other adult dive buddies/friends, so if nothing else a private DM will give me more peace of mind.

Do you mind sharing what dive operator you used and whether you would recommend them for a younger diver?

Thank you for your reply!

 

[lizzzzz]

We brought our daughter diving Cozumel for her first post cert dives when she was 13 and she did fine. Her trim and her relaxed stance in the water put some adults to shame. We stayed shallow with her on every dive that first trip.

For a wealth of information on Cozumel dive ops, see: Finding a (Best) Dive Op in Cozumel

This is great to hear, thanks! When you mention staying shallow, what does that mean for Coz (and the currents)? Also, isn't it amazing how well some of the kids do with trim compared to adults? We'll be diving again in Oahu at the end of the summer, but if we wait until then it will be nearly a year between my son's dives and I'm keen to get a quick trip in for practice — and also because I'm in the mood for a dive trip

 

[Shawn C]

A junior OW diver shouldn't go below 60' as per the certification. We are more comfortable with her in shallower dives as the risks are lower than they are at depth (though she'd go to 100' if we let her lol). When you hire a DM, you have more control over which reefs the boat will dive on. We ask for reefs that are known to, generally speaking, have lower currents. The truth is, however, that there's no guarantees. The DM will often jump in to do a quick assessment of the current and if he's happy, we're happy.

 

[lizzzzz]

A junior OW diver shouldn't go below 60' as per the certification. We are more comfortable with her in shallower dives as the risks are lower than they are at depth (though she'd go to 100' if we let her lol). When you hire a DM, you have more control over which reefs the boat will dive on. We ask for reefs that are known to, generally speaking, have lower currents. The truth is, however, that there's no guarantees. The DM will often jump in to do a quick assessment of the current and if he's happy, we're happy.

Agree re: following certification rules and I have a strong preference for shallower dives with my son, for the reasons you mentioned. (Like your daughter, he'd go down deeper if he could but I'm much more comfortable with him in the 40-50' or so zone.) I'd been warned about Coz because of where the currents are/aren't relative to depth, but it sounds like a private DM and specifically requesting fewer currents will help mitigate that. I'll definitely go that route — and appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Altamira]

Great points. My son is 13 and very mature/conscientious for his age, but I'm always reminding myself that he's still a kid and this goes back to your point of him being MY buddy if I run into trouble, which is key. I like the idea of hiring a private DM since it would just be the two of us, as that adds an extra layer of security. I've found that I'm much more hyper-aware of any potential risk when diving with him than with other adult dive buddies/friends, so if nothing else a private DM will give me more peace of mind.

Do you mind sharing what dive operator you used and whether you would recommend them for a younger diver?

Thank you for your reply!

We were on a cruise, and the ship’s dive op was Sand Dollar, one that I have used several times without any issues or complaints. They were safety oriented and very accommodating about letting us stay at depths compatible with his JrOW cert. As a cruise ship dive op, their profiles are conservative, and some on this board like a lot more freedom to dive their tank, go their own way, etc., but with a new, young diver, it was exactly what we wanted. Although our grandson was a natural in diving, we always had to keep in mind that although his buoyancy and dive skills were excellent, he was still a kid, and their brains don’t always see or appreciate the potential dangers underwater.